Preserved radio-active organic matter and food.



Patented, April 25, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.-

HUGO LIEBER', OF NEW roan, N. Y.

PRESERVED RADIO-ACTIVE ORGANIC MATTER AND Fo o'DL SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 788,4 80, dated April 25, 1905. Originalapplication filed March 12,1904, Serial No. 197,838. Divided and thisapplication'filed J ne 17, 1904. Serial No. 213,047.

To (ti-Z whom it m/ty norm/arm.-

Be it known that l, Hueo in cinema citizen of the United States,residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Preserved Radio-Active OrganicMatter and Food, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the impregnation of food and organic matterwith emanations from a radio-active substance, and has for its object anew article of manufact.ure---to wit, preserved radio-active food andorganic matter impregnated with emanations from a radio from thorium canbe utilized to render other active substance-as hereinafter moreparticularly described and for the purpose stated.

As set forth in my application filedMarch 12,1904, Serial N o.-l97,838,-for Letters Patent for improvement in radio-active matterimpregnated with thorium emanations and in the manufacture thereof, ofwhich this application is a division, thorium is a radio-activesubstance, and it emits and radiates rays called Becquerel rays. Inaddition to the emission of Becquerel rays thorium gives off emanationsof gaseous particles. The emanations substances radioactive. Othersubstances rendered radio-active .by means of thorium emanations may besaid to be secondarily radio-active. As set forth in my saidapplication, 1 have discovered that solid and liquid substances can beimpregnated with thorium emanations and can thereby be rendered persistently radio-active or radio-active in such degree that they retaintheir radio-activity for a considerable length of time and thatasatisfactory method of obtaining the emanations from thorium and ofutilizing them is by heating thorium oxid below red heat and then bymeans of an air-current or similar device blowing the emanations intothe matter to be impregnated or made radio-active or otherwise bringingthe thorium emanations into intimate contact therewith. Heat ispreferably applied in order to facilitate the giving off of the thoriumemanations; but thorium gives off the emanatio'ns without heat. Insteadof thorium oxid there can be used in like manner for the obtaining ofemanations other forms of thorium--for example, thorium nitrate,

preferably in solution with water. Shou d thorium nitrate be used, theuse for which the impregnated radio-active substance may be intended mayrequire the neutralization of any free nitric acid present. For thepurpose for which my present invention is primarily intended, thepreservation of food and other decomposable matter, prefer, therefore,to use thorium oxid for the obtaining of the thorium emanations. Asdescribed in mysaid application tiled March 12, 1904', the thoriumcmanations being blown into or otherwise brought into intimate contactwith the substance to be impregnated therewith the substance isimpregnated with the thorium emanations and rendered persistentlyradioactive--- that is, radio-active to such an extent and degree thatthe radio-activity will be retained for a considerable length of timeand will enable the radio-active substance impregnated with the thoriumemanations to be used for many purposes. Furthermore, as described in mysaid application tiled March 12, 1904, substances may be'impregnatedwith thorium emanations by mixing thorium oxid therewith. The emanationsgiven 05 by the-thorium oxid of the mixture come into intimate contactwith thesubstance,impregnate it, and render it radio-active.

l have discovered that the impregnation of substances with emanationsfrom arzidio-active substance, thereby rendering the sub stancesradio-active, can be utilized for the preservation of food and organicmatter and the production of a new article of manufacture-to wit,preserved radio-active food and organic matter impregnated withemanations from a radio-active substance for the purpose statedand thisdiscovery forms the basis of my present application. Foods such ascanned foods,meat, beef extracts, and other manufactured or preparedfoods, milk, cheese, cream, and the compounds thereof, fruits,

jams, juices, jellics,-and preserves generally and decomposable mattergenerally can be impregnated with thorium elnanations and renderedradio-active in the manner above described, for example, and can therebybe prcserved from decomposition and decay.

As is well known, nitrogen is a con tituent of albumen, and nitrogen-andalbumen are constituents of many animal and vegetable foods which areknown as nitrogenous? or albumin'ous foods In the case of solids it maybe necessary to heat the-solid to the liquid form and to blow theemanations into the matter while in the liquid 'form', or if the solidsubstanceisin a comminuted condition or is sufiiciently porous thethorium emanations maybe brought into conta'ctand combined with theparticles of the solid substance throughout its mass by blowing thethorium emanations into and throughu out theparticles of the solidsubstance. In

the case of solid foods and other matter manufactured, prepared, orpreserved with aliquid, juice, syrup, or the like the emanations willthoroughly impregnate the liquid, juice, or.

syrup, and the impregnated liquid, juice, or syrup surrounding andpenetrating any solid substance 'within it will preserve the entirematter, solid and liquid, from decompositio'n and decay.

Radium is a radio-active substance which, like thorium, emits andradiates Becquerel rays and in addition gives 01f emanations similar tothose given off by thorium; The emanations from radium can be used,according tomy invention, in the manner described for the use ofthoriu'm emanations'for the impregnation of substances-with theemanations, thereby rendering them radio-active and for thefpreservationoffood and decomposible matter. I

I am aware that thorium salts have been} dissolved in water previous tomy invention, and such is not my invention. When a salt of thoriumisdissolved in water or other liquid, the thorium saltpermeates thewater or other-liquid in'which it isdissolved. When,

however, according to my invention asabove described, thorium emanationsare given ofl,

I the thorium emanations are separate and free from the thorium fromwhich they were obtained, and when the thorium emanations so obtainedare brought into intimate contact with the matter to be renderedradio-active and preserved and impregnate the matter, combining with theparticles of the matter throughout the mass of the matter, the matter soimpregnated is free from the thorium from which the thoriu'm emanationswere obtained and is radio-active and preserved by reason of the.emanations or gaseous particles separated from the thorium by which theywere givenotf and combined with the particles of the preserved matterthroughout its mass.

In'view of the purpose and object 'of this inventionnamely,- thepreservation of food and other organic matter by preventingdecompositionand decay resulting, for instance,

from the development of mold, of fermentation, and of various kinds ofgerms, and from such other causes as induce the decomposition and decayof organic matter what 1 claim 1s 1. Preserved organic matter,consisting of organic matter and thorium emanations freefrom-the thoriumfrom which they were obtained in combination with the particles of thepreserved matter throughout its mass, the orgame matter beingradio-active by'reason of the thorium emanations embodied within it,

substantially as described.

2. Preserved solid food, consisting of solid 1 food and thoriumemanations free'from the thorium from which'they were obtained, incombination with the'particles of the preserved food throughout its mas, the food being ra- 1 dio-a'ctive by reasonof the thorium emanationsembodied within it, substantially as described. i

3'. Preserved-food, consisting of solid food contained within a liquidand thorium emanations free from the thorium from which they wereobtained, in combination with the particles of the preserved foodthroughout its mass, the food being radio-activ e by reason of thethorium-emanations embodied within it,

substantially as described.

4;. Preserved lbuminousfood,consistingof albuminous food and thoriumemanations free from the thorium from which they were obtained, incombination withtthe particles of I the preserved albuminous foodthroughout its mass, the albuminous food being radio-active by reasonofthe thorium emanations embodied within it, substantially as described.-

5. Preserved nitrogenous food, consisting of nitrogenous food andthorium emanations free from the thorium .from which they were obtained,incombination with the particles of the preserved nitrogenous foodthroughout its mass, the nitrogenous food being radio-active by reasonof the thorium emanations embodied within :it, substantially asdescribed.

6. Preserved animal food, consisting of ani-' mal food and thoriumemanations free from the thorium from which they were obtained, incombination with the particles of the preserved animal food throughoutits mass," the animal food being radio-active by reason of the thoriumemanations embodied within it, substantially as described.

1n testimony whereofI have signed my name to thisspecification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses. v

. HUGO LIEBER.

'Witnesses:

REBECCA BALLEISEN, CATHERINE BEHAN.

